Feed trays or bowls for feeding animals are generally known. Also known are animal feeders which are comprised of two or more sections as well as bowl feeders which include means for repulsing or trapping insects seeking access to the bowl portion.
The problem of insects intruding into the feed bowls of animals is a great problem. In the southern areas of the United States, it is quite common for fire ants to crawl up the side of the feed bowl and enter into the food containing area of the feed bowl. As such, when a pet desires to eat food from his bowl, the ant may sting the mouth of the pet or otherwise injure the pet. It has been found that the stinging of an animal's mouth by an insect within the feed bowl will tend to discourage the animal from receiving food from such a feed bowl. Often, the stings of fire ants, and other insects, can be injurious and even fatal to the pet.
Prior attempts have been made of isolating the food from the insects. Unfortunately, many of these prior art attempts have been ineffective in preventing the intrusion of insects into the bowl. Also, the mechanisms used for preventing the intrusion of insects into the feed bowl have been both complicated, messy, difficult to utilize, and otherwise inconvenient. Further, and additionally, since the cost of an animal feed bowl is of concern to pet owners, it is preferable to design such an insect proof feed bowl which is not costly to manufacture or sell.
Another common problem for pet food bowls is that they are commonly knocked over, thereby spilling food or water everywhere. If the pet food bowl is of a type that is suitable for preventing insect intrusion, then the bowl is usually pushed so as to be adjacent a surface that acts as a bridge for insects. As such, it was felt to be important to design an insect-proof pet bowl that could be fixed in position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an insect-proof pet food container that effectively prevents the intrusion of non-flying insects into the food area of a feed bowl.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pet food container that is easy to utilize easy to assemble, and relatively clean.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a pet food container that requires a very inexpensive manufacturing process.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a pet food container that allows water to be introduced without mess.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pet food container that can be fixed to the ground.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.